The Dec. 5 Catasauqua Area School District Board of Education meeting opened with the annual board reorganization.

Before nominating officers, the new school board members, as elected in the Nov. 7 general election, needed to take the oath of office. Jillian Emert, Lauren Cieslak, Eric DeLabar and Jeremy Smale all took the oath, as approved by notary Stacey Zellner.

It was reported the final seat on the school board is left empty after the fifth person declined the seat. Anyone interested in filling the void should reach out to Superintendent Dr. Christina Lutz-Doemling at the district administration office, 201 N. 14th St. The hope is to get the spot filled for the January meeting.

Dale Hein was voted to serve the board as the new president, with Emert retaining her role as vice president.

In order to take on his new role, Hein had to resign his previous position as assistant secretary.

Additionally, the schedule for the 2024 board and committee meetings was approved. Hein requested the times for the summer committee meetings be pushed back to remain consistent for the whole year to accommodate board members’ work schedules. The committee meetings will start 5 p.m. for the entire year.

Hein also noted the board will be adjusting the committee assignments to incorporate the new board members. He asked for all board members to send him or Lutz-Doemling their preferences for which committees they want to serve on, and they will organize and fill the committees before the next meetings.

As part of the reorganization portion of the meeting, district Solicitor David Knerr was approved to continue serving CASD at a rate of $240 per hour for the year. Knerr thanked the board for the approval.

Cieslak was also approved to serve as the CASD liaison for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

The end of the board meeting was filled with congratulations for Smale and DeLabar on their election to the board and Hein for his new position.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 9, 2024, in the district administration office, 201 N. 14th St., Catasauqua.